Eric Adams defends axing FDNY firefighter whose death left family in financial ruin: ‘Tragic situation’
New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended firing a firefighter whose death months later left his family in a financial mess – saying keeping him would have meant misspending “taxpayers’ dollars.”
Adams’ comments came Tuesday after the FDNY commissioner told The Post it was on politicians to take action to help the family of Derek Floyd, who died April 15 after he was axed as part of a cuts to cover the cost of the Big Apple’s migrant crisis.
“It’s really a tragic situation,” Adams told reporters, saying Floyd had been placed on modified duty after a 2019 heart attack while enrolled at the Fire Academy.
“He never qualified to be a firefighter because he didn’t get through the academy because of his heart condition,” Adams said, as he denied the firing was tied to City Hall’s plan to slash the FDNY budget by $74 million by the end of 2025.
“We can’t just say, ‘OK, you were brought on to be a firefighter, you don’t qualify, we’re going to hold you on the payroll anyway.’ We can’t do that,” Adams said. “That is not how you use taxpayers’ dollars.”
At the time of his layoff, Floyd had been working in the chaplain’s office helping to arrange funerals for fallen FDNY members. He was trying to receive medical clearance to re-enter the firefighting force before he was fired.
The mayor said the city will assist “within our legal restrictions,” but also referred to the tragic situation as “just life.”
“You can determine something on Monday and something can happen on Tuesday. That’s just life,” Adams said. “His medical condition did not allow him to become a firefighter.
“It’s so unfortunate because he appears to have been a great young man who would have been great to the FDNY. But that’s the reality we were facing, and we’re going to be here for the family as much as possible.”
Floyd, 36, was let go from the FDNY in November – just a few months shy of qualifying for additional medical benefits and a $600,000 pension.
He was one of about 10 fire department employees who had been on “long-term light duty” — either injured on the job and given office work or out sick for an extended period — who were fired weeks before Christmas, FDNY sources told The Post at the time of the layoffs.
But on Tuesday Adams denied the layoffs had anything to do with migrant spending.
“We have not done any layoffs. We have not increased our taxes in spite of what we are going through,” Adams said.
Several politicians have called on officials to step in to help Floyd’s family because he was a few months short of vesting his city pension. But FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said that “action” could only come from a new law.
“The ball is in their court,” Kavanagh told The Post Tuesday morning at an FDNY promotion ceremony. “In order to change the status of his pension eligibility we would need the action of city, state, or federal legislation.”
Kavanagh said FDNY helped pay for Floyd’s funeral, and she is encouraging FDNY-associated foundations to also help Floyd’s family financially. And, Kavanagh said the firefighting force is looking at other options to help out Floyd’s family.
“We’ve started a scholarship for his kids and for the family. We’re also looking at legal and legislative options to give his wife some options. It’s really a tragic, sad event,” Kavanagh said.
